Real Wages Down 8.4 Percent in US Since 2006

Updated July 8, 2015

Since 2006, wages have risen 7.5 percent overall in the US. But when you factor in inflation, "real wages" have actually fallen 8.4 percent. In other words, the income for a typical worker today buys them less than it did in 2006. The PayScale Real Wage Index incorporates the Consumer Price Index (CPI) into The PayScale Index (which tracks nominal wages) and looks at the buying power of wages for full-time private industry workers in the U.S.